To be a baseball fan in Elmira, New York is to be a Pioneers fan. The local nine have been the Pioneers in league after league since 1935 with only a few short interruptions. Today we look at the most unusual of those detours: the two-year reign of Lou Eliopulos, the retired cemetery operator who dreamed of a nationwide chain of Suns-branded minor league baseball teams and ever so briefly made it happen.
Southern League (1970-1984 & 1991-2016) Born: 1970 – Southern League expansion franchise Re-Branded: November 2, 2016 (Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp) First Game: April 16, 1970 (L 6-5
The Danville Suns were an Illinois-based farm team of the California Angels during the summer of 1982. The Suns marked the return of the Class A Midwest League to Danville after a five-year absence. The city previously hosted the league’s Danville Warriors (1970-1974) and Danville Dodgers (1975-1976). Team owner Lou Eliopulos moved the Suns to Peoria, Illinois in November 1982.
Western Carolinas League (1963-1979) South Atlantic League (1986-1994) Born: 1963 – Western Carolinas League expansion franchise Moved: 1995 (Piedmont Phillies) Western Carolinas League Champions: 1966, 1967, 1972,
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